Ashton Jeanty is on his method to the NFL. The previous Boise State working again and 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up formally declared for the NFL Draft on Friday the place he tasks to be the primary working again off the board.
He launched an announcement on social media asserting his resolution.
The one query now’s the place he goes within the draft, and the way early he’ll come off the board.
Jeanty has been the perfect working again in school soccer the previous two seasons and is coming off a really dominant 2024 season that noticed him problem Barry Sanders’ single-season dashing document.
There needs to be little debate as as to if or not he is likely one of the greatest gamers within the draft. He’s. He’s a possible game-changing, big-play again who may present a raise to any offense. The issue he’s going to run into is that he performs the fallacious place to be a really excessive choose.
Working again has been devalued a lot over the previous 10-20 years that groups very not often take them early within the draft besides in excessive and particular circumstances.
The New York Giants took Saquon Barkley No. 2 general in 2018, whereas the Atlanta Falcons took Bijan Robinson No. 8 general in 2022.
Apart from that, it has change into more and more unparalleled for working backs to go within the prime half of the draft, and particularly within the prime 10.
It’s not that groups don’t want good working backs; it’s merely the fact that it’s actually troublesome to begin constructing a crew across the place. Not solely do working backs have one of many shortest careers of any place within the league, however in addition they have the shortest peaks and are extraordinarily depending on the crew round them.
You want a powerful offensive line, an excellent quarterback and a profitable passing recreation to assist open up the working recreation. With out these different items in place, you run the chance of losing that prime choose on a working again.
In a means, that could possibly be excellent news for Jeanty. The additional he falls down the board, the extra possible it’s he leads to a great place and on an excellent crew that might give him the kind of supporting forged he must make an instantaneous affect within the NFL.
